And the Neill Blomkamp story continues. We first announced that the South African director would helm Halo (here) and then served up a list of projects to help give our readers a better sense of what achievements this guy has done (here).
Now the director speaks and he seems thrilled to create a film on a game he actually plays.
Hmmm, I wonder if I ever talked shit to him online...
Neill Blomkamp Talks Halo
The good people over at AICN are the first to catch up with Neill Blomkamp and get him to discuss Halo, both the movie and the gaming franchise.
Quint: First and foremost, are you a fan of the games? Neill Blomkamp: From a purely game playing perspective I am a massive fan of the games, but more importantly, i'm a massive fan of the world and universe of Halo, the science fiction world that the games take place inside of.
Quint: Are you nervous about tackling a movie as big as HALO as your first feature? Neill Blomkamp: No, I’m not. I certainly respect how complex it is, and how much focus is required. There will be some very hard times, with tons of pressure but you work through it. I am so invested in it from a creative standpoint that my eye just stays on the end goal, I keep focused on making it exactly how I want it and treat every day as a path to that final product, plus the support from the New Zealand team is really amazing, its not like i’m out in the woods alone, they’ve done this back to back for like 10 years.
Quint: How about The Flood? What's your take on The Flood? That aspect has always been my favorite of the games. Neill Blomkamp: I absolutely love the flood, more importantly I love infected humans and covenant, so that will absolutely have its place in the film. Halo is a perfect project for me, because it contains so many different things that fascinate me, one of which is the idea of biological evolution, and the flood is essentially a virus, it is a near perfect organism in terms of how resilient it is against natural threats, this feeling of evolution and why organisms evolve a certain way ties into the covenant and even the humans. And then of course on a pure thrill ride basis having the audience run into the flood in a narrow dark hallway is awesome.
The first script for Halo sounded amazing and it seems that it still wasn't good enough for Microsoft, Fox and Universal. Since the game franchise has made more money than most films, they are working to create an amazing adaptation.
Though I first had some doubts on Neill Blomkamp, he does seem to be the perfect choice. Check out the entire interview over at AICN.